Feeding mechanism



Feb. l, E, DlCKERMAN 2,460,340

FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 19, 194e Patented Feb. 1, 17949 NITED STATES 2 Claims. (Cl. 271-25) This invention relates to improvements in feed mechanism and is directed more particularly to a feeding mechanism adapted among other uses for feeding successive portions of metal stock such as wire, ribbon, rod-s, bands and the like into a machine or apparatus which acts on the stock.

In connection with such a machine as a punch press or the like, which has relatively movable members carrying cooperating metalworking devices, the said members move towards and away from one another for such operations on the stock as punching, cutting, forming, drawing, and numerous other operations. Such machines usesuccessive parts or portions of bars, rods, tubes, strips, wires and thelike to perform successive operations and produce succes-sive objects or pieces of work.

The apparatus of this invention is adapted for use in connection with such machines and the cooperating metal working devices thereof to feed thereto succes-sive portions of the metal to be worked on. The mechanism is adaptedto intermittently feed or to'feed in a stepby step mannervsuch material as wire, metal strip, rods, bars, tubes in various forms, sections and sizes in timed relation with a machine or apparatus working or acting on successive portions or lengths of material.

According to one embodiment of the invention the mechanism thereof may be associated with a die set which, as is well known, includes a set of relatively movable cooperating die members adapted to be associated with the relatively movable members of various machines such as a punch press, so that the die members are moved towards and away from one another for performing various operation-s.

y'The feeding mechanism of this invention, by being associated with the die set, may be removed from the machine therewith so that various die sets may have feeding mechanisms more or less permanently associated therewith. This eliminates the necessity of adjusting the common form of feed mechanism to a particular die set when it is associated'with the machine, thereby eliminating the loss of time, expense and other objections incident to such a procedure. Otherwise, of course, the same feed mechanism of the invention may be applied to numerous and varions-different die sets if it should be so desired or to machines of various types.

" According to U. S, Patent No. 2,188,473 of January-30, 1940, the feed mechanism i-s operated by acam which is associated with the upper member of a die set. The upper member of such a die eet is secured to the movable member of a press or the like and the lower member of a die set is secured to the stationary member of said press. The movable member of the press has a definite distance of movement relative to the stationary member so that since the feed mechanism is operated by the cam the length of stock which may be fed is limited by the length of stroke of the press. This is objectionable for the reason it is frequently desired to feed longer lengths of stock than the length of stroke of the press will provide.

According to this invention, a die feed is provided which is characterized by means which will feed longer lengths of stock relative to the stroke of the press than is possible with the feed mechanisrn of the patent referred to. This is accomplished by a novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter to be described.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of feeding mechanism embodying the novel features ofthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the feeding mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through' the feeding mechanism shown in Figs. l and 2;.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view through one of the rolls of the apparatus illustrating means for preventing rotation of the roll in one direction; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevational view on the line @l--il of Fig. 2.

'Referring now to the drawing-s more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

Upper and lower members of a die-set are represented by E and t. These will have cooperating die members secured thereto and they are carried oy an upper movable part of a press and the lower stationary part thereof. The upper part of the press moves up and down rela-.

tive to the lower part so that the die members coact for operating on a length of material which fed therebetween 'by the mechanism to be described.

A cam t is xed to the upper member 2 and secured thereto by screws 22 or the like.

has sloping faces 8 and dwell faces Ill. As the upper member moves downwardly the faces 8 of the cam. engage and operate the feed mechanism for feeding a length of stock to the dies. The dwell faces iii arrest'ojoeration of the feed-- ing mechanism while the upper member moves for the coaction of the die members on the length of stock which has been fed between the dies.

A base. l2- is provided for securing to the lower member-` of a die set or to the stationary member of a press and spaced guides i 1i extend upwardly therefrom. As the upper member moves downwardly the rear side of the cam B` slides along the guides as in the patent referred to. Y

Side rails iii extend outward-ly from the base portion. i2. Inner members i3 insidethe rails have outer plates 2i! and 2i outside rails The plates are arranged to slidably embrace the rails fior back and forth movements. The base side rails provide a support for carriages aswiil appear.

Lower iii: have opposite secured againsty rotation in4 inner membersV i8. Blocks 2.5 aresiida-bleup and down in guideways 23 provided in theinner ers i and opposite ends ofi upper shafts: 3S. arey 'linedA against rotation in said blocks.

Lower rolls `are'rotatable on the lower shafts 2li: in the directionl of the arrows only and upper rolls il arerotatableon the up-per'shafts iloniy in the direction of the arrows. rThis may be accomplished in various ways but as an example, the shaft as shown in Fig. 4 provided with slots 36; in which pawls-S are disposed for. locking:V the rolls to the. shaft to prevent counterclocliwise rotation of the rolls relative to the shaft; Springs il may be provided for urging the pawls into locking position.

Caps @d have opposite ends secured to the'inner members i255 havebars ti'movable up and down therein. Screws Z55 in opposite ends of the'bars act on. springs 5i] which bear on the blocks 28;. The-upper rolls may move upwardly against the" action of the springs and thereby thev rolls yieldingly engage a strip of stock.

Levers 5.2, are pivcted in the caps andhave pro? By this r jections 53 forV engaging the bars 55. means, the barsmay be released to remove the pressure'of the springs from the blocks 25, that is whenthelevers 'are swung upwardly the bars Iffai'ereleased.

The inner and outer members i8, 2c and 2i.

and` the caps 44' constitute inner and outerV carriages. Si! and each of which has a pair of coacting. rolls rotatable relative thereto.

. The; members 2i have: cam rolls t' rotatable thereon whichA are engageable by the cam S. Rods 5E fixed to bosses t8 of the members 2i are slidable throughears- 'i5 extending from rails I6 and compression springs 'E2 around the rods (i6v are disposed between theV bosses and ears. These springs urge thev inner carriage t@ inwardly when released byl the cam. Nuts 'i6 adjustable ontlie outer endsofrods 5 are adapted to abut the ears 'liiand limit movement of the inner carriage S as it moves inwardly.

transverse member 'i8 is secured to the inner members iii of the. outer carriage t2 and a. link 80V has one endLpivoted thereto at S2. A lever @iii is pivoted at 36 to transverse member ii which is-associated with the rails i3 and. has one end pivoted at Sii to link 89. A link 92 pivoted at one end 94 to theinner carriage 6U has its opposite end pivoted at 96 to lever 84.

The connections. described provide simultane ous movements of the carriages.

As the upper member 2 moves upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 2, the springs 12 move the inner carriage Ell inwardly. In this movement of the carriage t@ andV because the rolls thereof cannot rotate in a direction opposite to the arrows, they grip and feed' inwardly the stock between them. f

Simultaneously with this inward movement of the carriage Sii the outer carriage 52 through the linkiand lever connections is moved outwardly. The rollsl thereof since they may rotate in the direction of the arrows allows the stock to be drawn therethrough by the rolls of carriage 60.

' When the carriages are in their spaced' apart relation the inner carriage will have fed al length of stock inwardly, the length being equal to the length of travel; of-Vsaidcarriage and theiouter carriage will-be in an'. outer position: to grip and feed; a length lof stock. inwardly;

Asithe upper member 2 descends andthefeam i engagesthe roilsft. theinner carriage'iis moved outwardly or rearwardly and the` outer carriage 'is moved inwardly. As-,Ythe outerv ca riage moves inwardly because therolls32 and 3d thereof cannot rotate in a direction opposite to the arrows said rolls-` gripy andfeed a:v length of stock inwardly while Vthe rolls of theA innerl carriage ailowthe passage ofstock. therebetween.

Thus, while the carriagesY are. moving from the relatively adj acent.` positions shown. to, al. sep,- arated position, the inner carriage is.. feeding;

stock inwardly while when. the .carriages .aflie- Vsaid shafts 3,6.

:Studs Sii carried by. inner members i8 under,- lie. the separators andr adjusting screws 8.8'. threaded in theseparato-rs are adapted toibear.` on said studs. By theY adjusting screwsu 88 thev separators may be raised or.v lowered. As. the carriages approach. their adjacent inner; posi@ tions the shafts Sii of thev upper. rolls.of.thelcar.. riage b2. engage-the-inclines 84 of the separators which throughV theI action of the screws'i 0m the studscauses theupper rolls` of the.carriagesv to be elevated against the thereby to release the stock,

The. transverse member S5- rnay be provided. with a slot asshownfor` securingtheretoguidc means for guiding stock into the feed-A mecha nism. V

The'inventionV may be embodied inl other. spice action of the springsciiic forms without departing from the essentiaii characteristicsthereon Hence, the present-emA bodiinents `are therefore to be :considered inail;- respects merely being illustrative anclfnotesi being restrictive, the scope-of.: the inventionbe'. ing indicated by. the appended.elaimsrathertbanz by the foregoingAv description. and all modifica@- tions and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Unitary strip feeding mechanism adapted for operation by the cam of a movable member of a die set comprising in combination, a base having longitudinal and transversely spaced side rails extending outwardly therefrom, an inner carriage and an outer carriage extending between and slidable in opposite directions on said rails, said inner carriage disposed adjacent said base and said outer carriage disposed outwardly of said inner carriage, spring means urging said inner carriage inwardly towards said base, said inner carriage provided with cam engaging means whereby it is moved outwardly against the action of said spring means by said cam, a transverse member iixed to outer ends of said side rails, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends to said member, a link having opposite ends pivoted to said outer carriage and to one end of said lever and a link having opposite ends pivoted to the inner carriage and an opposite end of said lever arranged whereby as the inner carriage moves towards and away from said base said outer carriage is moved away from and towards said inner carriage and base, spring pressed upper and lower shafts in each said carriage, coacting strip engaging rolls on said shafts, and clutch means between each of said rolls and the shaft therefor permitting rotation of said rolls in one direction only and arranged whereby as the carriages are moved towards said base the rolls are held against rotation to grip a strip for feeding it inwardly.

2. Unitary strip feeding mechanism adapted for operation by the cam of a movable member of a die set comprising in combination, a base having longitudinal and transversely spaced side rails extending outwardly therefrom, an inner carriage and an outer carriage extending between and slidable in opposite directions on said rails, said inner carriage disposed adjacent said base and said outer carriage disposed outwardly of said inner carriage, spring means urging said inner carriage inwardly towards said base, said inner carriage provided with cam engaging means whereby it is moved outwardly against the action of said spring means by said cam, a transverse member fixed to outer ends of said side rails, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends to said member, a link having opposite ends pivoted to said outer carriage and to one end of said lever and a link having opposite ends pivoted to the inner carriage and an opposite end Vof said lever arranged whereby as the inner carriage moves towards and away from said base said outer carriage is moved away from and towards said inner carriage and base, spring pressed upper and lower shafts in each said carriage, coacting strip engaging rolls on said shafts, and clutch means between each of said rolls and the shaft therefor permitting rotation of said rolls in one direction only and arranged whereby'as the carriages are moved towards said base the rolls are held against rotation to grip a strip for feeding it inwardly and separator members carried by the inner carriage engageable by the upper shaft of the outer carriage to move said shaft upwardly and separate the rolls of the outer carriage when said carriages are adjacent one another.

HUBERT E. DICKERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

